Just Plain WEIRD #2 
							
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Vixion01: eyeglasses with built-in autofocus, so you can relax your eyes and still see things sharply between a couple of inches away and infinity.  Vixion  View 4 Images – By Loz Blain 2024 Jan 08 – The lenses in our eyes stiffen as we …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		New research reveals impaired oxygen absorption and mitochondrial dysfunction in muscle cells may explain why exercise makes long COVID patients feel worse.  Depositphotos – By Rich Haridy 2024 Jan 11 – One of the most consistently reported symptoms of long COVID is the tendency …	
	        
        				
						
			            			
																												
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Fruit bats have honed their sweet tooth through adaptive evolution. Keith Rose/iStock via Getty Images Plus – By Wei Gordon, Assistant Professor of Biology, Menlo College And Nadav Ahituv, Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences; Director, Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Scientists have identified a set of neurons in the brain that, when activated, allow mice to live longer and healthier lives.  Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2024 Jan 09 – Slowing down the dreaded aging process is something that everybody’s interested in, and now …	
	        
        				
						
			            									
																						
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Social media and cellphones connected President Trump to the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images – By Joan Donovan, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies, Boston University Published: 2024 Jan 05 – The shocking events of 2021 Jan 06, …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		A new study has provided the first direct evidence to explain the function of sleep.  Depositphotos – By Paul McClure 2024 Jan 08 – Researchers have combined physics and biology in a study that provides the first direct evidence explaining why we sleep. Viewing …	
	        
        				
						
			            															
																
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Figure’s 01 humanoid robot demonstrates its new watch-and-learn capabilities by autonomously using a coffee machine. Perhaps not the most spectacular demo, but this could open the floodgates to a massive acceleration of general-purpose robotics. Figure – By Loz Blain 2024 Jan 07 – Figure’s …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Plants with the altered microbiome proved to be more resistant to harmful bacteria.  Depositphotos – By Ben Coxworth 2024 Jan 05 – The “microbiome” is the unique population of microorganisms found in and on every plant and animal. Scientists have now genetically altered that …	
	        
        				
						
			            																					
										
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		The Unitree B2 quadruped robot is claimed to tip the scales at about 60 kg (132 lb).  Unitree Robotics – By Ben Coxworth 2023 Dec 27 – While Boston Dynamics may have pioneered the field of quadruped “robot dogs,” Chinese company Unitree has definitely …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Martin Howard, left, and Stephen Hopkins came to opposing conclusions about their colonial British identities. Howard: John Singleton Copley via Wikimedia Commons; Hopkins: New York Public Library, CC BY-SA By Abby Chandler, Associate Professor of History, UMass Lowell Published: 2024 Jan 04 – …